


Glass House

by fiji13



Category: Sleepy Hollow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Relationship Problems, Trust Issues, coming home
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-31
Updated: 2014-02-22
Packaged: 2018-01-10 16:12:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1161837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiji13/pseuds/fiji13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Abbie is free from purgatory and must re-establish relationships with the people she loves. Crane must earn back Abbie's trust and friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome Home

**Author's Note:**

> I just wanted to know how Abbie would feel about being home. If I were her I'd be a little mad at Crane, but who knows!!!

Abbie had been in purgatory for five weeks when she stumbled back to her house at 2am. The lights were on, Jenny was home. While Jenny and Ichabod spent their time trying to figure out ways to get Abbie home, Abbie had freed herself. Now here she was, standing on the ‘Welcome Home’ mat that she purchased years ago. The tattered old mat’s words held more significance now than she could’ve ever imagined. Abbie reached into her jacket pocket, grabbed the house-keys she managed to hold on to, and began to unlock the door. Before she could turn the lock, the front door swung open.

“Abbie,” Jenny shrieked as she threw her arms around her sister.

            Abbie was silent as the grave and did not respond. Jenny quickly led her sister into the house and sat her down gently on the couch. Abbie still hadn’t said a word, but Jenny had expected this. Who would feel like speaking after spending time in hell? Jenny wasn’t sure if she would ever see her sister again, and now here she is, back in her own home. While Abbie had been away, Jenny took it upon herself to protect her sister’s job and home. Filing a missing person report was the only way Jenny could keep her sister from being listed as AWOL. The whole town was worried about Abbie, most thought she was dead.

“Abbie, I’m going to run some bath water. Are you hungry? Do you want something to drink,” she asked.

“A sandwich,” Abbie said as she drew her knees up to her chest.

            Jenny rushed to the kitchen and pulled the ham, bread, and cheese from the refrigerator. The bath can wait. The past few weeks had been exhausting for Jenny. When she wasn’t finding new ways to free her sister, she was yelling at Ichabod. She blamed him for Abbie’s imprisonment, how could she not? It was Ichabod that was so desperate to rescue his wife that he didn’t care about what happened to Abbie. All of this was Ichabod’s fault, Jenny was convinced.

“Here you go. I’m going to run your bath, and then we need to get you in bed,” Jenny said as she handed the sandwich to her sister.

“Those bruises, what happened,” Abbie asked as she touched Jenny’s face.

“Car accident. It happened a while ago, no big deal, I’m fine,” Jenny said as she walked away.

            A storm of thoughts brewed in Abbie’s mind. What happened while she was gone? How bad was the car accident? Where was Crane? For the first time in over a month Abbie was sleepy. There was no real night or day in purgatory, and she never slept. Abbie looked forward to a hot bath and her soft bed that would surely seem unfamiliar to her now.

“Bath’s ready. Your pajamas are on the sink,” Jenny called out into the living room.

Abbie slowly rose from the couch and walked to her bathroom. She was surprised how clean and organized her house was. Jenny was known for keeping a messy room as a child.

“I can’t believe you’re home. I didn’t think I was going to see you again. Crane tried to explain to me what happened, but I still don’t understand. I’m just glad you’re home. Don’t you ever leave me again Abbie. Don’t leave me again,” Jenny cried as she grabbed Abbie.

Abbie was stunned. She had never seen Jenny cry, not even when they were taken from their mother. Abbie wrapped her arms around her sister and held her tightly.

“I won’t leave you again,” Abbie said.

Jenny’s eyes were red and puffy and she could barely speak. “Promise me.”

“I promise Jenny.”

Jenny wiped her eyes and let go of Abbie, “You better hurry, your water’s getting cold.”

Abbie smiled, walked into the bathroom, and closed the door. She knelt beside the tub and dipped her hand into the water. It was hot, Jacuzzi hot, just the way she liked it. It seemed that Jenny also added her favorite cucumber melon scented bath salts.

* * *

 

“I see you enjoyed your bath,” Jenny said while carrying a pile of blankets.

“More than you know. Are those mine,” Abbie asked.

“Yea. I did laundry this morning, so they’re freshly washed. You know it’s almost 3am, you need to sleep,” Jenny demanded as she pushed Abbie into her bedroom.

Abbie walked to her bed, pulled back the blankets, and crawled in. Everything was so soft, so different than life in the dollhouse. “How are Crane and Katrina doing? Did Henry make it home?”

Jenny leaned against the bedroom doorway and laughed. “Crane is fine. Katrina, I haven’t met her. As for Henry Parish, don’t get me started on him.”

“What do you mean? Katrina should be with Crane,” Abbie gasped.

“I’ll let Crane explain that situation in the morning. Now for the last time, you need to sleep. Goodnight Abbie,” Jenny said as she turned the light off and closed the bedroom door.

“Goodnight Jenny.”


	2. Coffee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most important breakfast in a long long time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story, it means a lot!

     Abbie’s body had its own internal clock. For the past eight years Abbie has been able to wake itself up at 7am, even without an alarm clock. But not today, today was different. Today she didn’t pull the sheets from over her head until 9am. The sound of voices and the bright sunshine were impossible for her to ignore any longer. Abbie slowly rolled out of the bed and walked to her bathroom. As she washed her face and brushed her teeth, the conversation continued. She knew who the voices belonged to, the two most important people in her life.

     Abbie slowly walked down the hallway, being careful not to make a sound. She peered from around the corner and spotted Ichabod and Jenny, sitting at the table arguing. Part of her wanted to run back into the room, climb out of the window, and run away. Another part of her wanted nothing more than to see the man that had quickly become the most important man in her life. It was now or never, she had to face him, which was certain. Abbie took in a deep breath and stepped into the living room.

Ichabod immediately noticed Abbie’s presence. He quickly shot up from his seat, hands held behind his back, standing with the most stringent posture. “Abbie.”

Abbie directed her gaze to the ground, “Crane.”

“How can I begin,” he said as he took one step forward, unsure of his next movement.

“Well, I’ll let you two talk. I’m going to the store, we’re out of milk,” Jenny said as she rushed out the front door.

Abbie’s anxiety level increased tenfold. She hoped Jenny would stay, that way she wouldn’t be alone with Ichabod. She wasn’t ready to be alone again, not with him.

“Miss Mills, please sit. Do me the honor of having breakfast with me,” he pleaded as he led Abbie to the kitchen table.

A poorly hidden smirk flashed across her face. She loved how proper he was, like something from a Jane Austen novel.

“When you said you’d come back for me, I thought you meant like five, ten minutes max,” Abbie said as she added cream and sugar to her coffee.

“That was my plan, originally. I did not want to leave you, you know that. I begged you not to stay,” Ichabod said.

“Well you didn’t beg hard enough. The only reason I agreed to stay was because I wanted you to be with Katrina. I wanted you to be happy. You deserve to be happy,” she shouted.

“I could never be happy as long as I knew you were suffering in purgatory. My every mood is determined by the expression on your face. Each day without you has felt like an eternity of despair. It was impossible for me to even enjoy a simple sunrise, when I knew that you could not see it,” he said as he grabbed her hand.

Abbie’s eyes were red, and quickly filling up with tears. She knew Ichabod cared about her, but not like this. “What happened? Tell me why Katrina is not with you, and why you didn’t come back for me.”

Ichabod pulled away from Abbie and slid down into his chair. “When Katrina and I returned, things did not go as planned. Our dear friend Henry Parish was not who he claimed to be. He is Jeremy.”

“Your son,” Abbie injected.

“Yes, my son. When we returned he revealed himself to be one of the horsemen, War. He attacked us. He gave Katrina to the Headless Horseman, I tried to save her but Henry threw me into a coffin and I was buried alive,” he quickly explained, trying to hold back his anger.

Abbie nodded silently, “So that’s why didn’t come back for me.”

“My dearest Abigail, you must believe that I would’ve come back for you within minutes,” he pleaded.

“I know. So where do we go from here,” Abbie asked as she drank her coffee.

“I would love nothing more than to pick up from where we left off,” he smiled.

Abbie shook her head, “We both know that’s impossible. Whether we want to admit it or not, we’ve both changed. We’re not the same people we were that morning.”

“You’ve lost some measure of confidence and trust in me, that I can see,” he admitted.

“You made a bad choice Crane. You thought with your dick instead of your brain, and we all got screwed because of it. There was no reason for us to go into purgatory, other than Katrina. Now we’re all forced to live with the consequences of your choices. So yea, I am pissed at you,” she said has she got up from the kitchen table.

Abbie’s words were like a poisonous dagger in Ichabod’s heart. He knew that everything she said was true, but that didn’t make it any easier to hear. The last thing he wanted to hear was that he had disappointed her.

“I’m mad as hell, but no Crane, I haven’t lost confidence in you. At the end of the day we’re all human, most of us, and we make mistakes,” she said as she pulled the orange juice from the refrigerator.

Ichabod walked to the kitchen counter and stood close to Abbie. “Do you believe our relationship can be reconciled?”

Abbie took one small step towards Ichabod and fell into his arms. They rarely hugged, but this situation warranted physical affection. “Of course I do. Crane, remember we’re not broken, just bent.”

Ichabod fully embraced Abbie. His grip on her body was so strong Abbie couldn’t move even if she wanted to. “Yes Miss Mills, we are bent, luckily our bond is both flexible and indestructible.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure what will happen next, but I'll will ponder it this week!


	3. The Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crane and Abbie take a trust building class

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!!!!

“Miss Mills, where are we going,” Ichabod asked as he fidgeted in his seat.

Abbie pulled into the parking space, put the car in park, and shut off the engine. The parking lot of the Sleepy Hollow Community Center was unusually crowded for a Thursday evening. Jenny had told Abbie to meet her at the community center at 6:30, and bring Ichabod.

“We’re at the community center. This is where they hold classes and different activities. And no, I have no idea why we’re here,” Abbie said as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

“Well, it seems that we are in for a surprise this evening,” Ichabod said as he exited the Jeep.

“Yea, and you know how I feel about surprises,” she snorted.

Abbie and Ichabod quickly walked across the parking lot and entered the community center. “God, I hope we’re not late. The last thing I want is a whole bunch of people staring at us,” Abbie said as they entered the large room.

Suddenly a cheery redheaded man in a baby blue sweater floated towards Ichabod and Abbie. “Oh hello! Come in, come in. You two must be Mr. and Mrs. Crane. I’m so glad you could make it to our very first Married Couple’s Trust Building seminar. Here are your name tags. Refreshments are against the wall.”

Abbie was stunned, no shocked, and a little bit pissed off. She turned towards Ichabod, his face was fire-engine red. Jenny had signed them up for a class meant for married couples. Part of her wanted to leave, but an even larger part of her was curious about the class.

“Miss Mills, that man thinks we are married. Should we not correct him,” Ichabod whispered in her ear.

“It’s okay, let’s just go find our seats,” Abbie said as she led Ichabod to the chairs.

There were six other couples, all sitting in a circle. The cheery man walked into the middle of the circle and began giving instructions. “Goooood evening, everybody. Tonight we’re going to focus on trust building exercises. I need everyone to get into pairs. One person will be the catcher and the other the faller. The faller must close his or her eyes and fall backwards. The catcher must catch their partner. Sound simple?”

Abbie and Ichabod walked to the corner of the room, away from the other couples. “Miss Mills, shall I be the one to catch you first.”

Abbie laughed, “No, I think it would be more fun for me to catch you.”

He replied, “Are you sure. Lieutenant, if you have not noticed, there is quite a significant height difference between us. I do not wish to cause you any physical discomfort.”

“Crane, I’m stronger than I look. I can catch you. You’re all skin and bones anyway,” Abbie teased.

“Very well then,” Ichabod said as he adjusted his coat, closed his eyes, and lightly fell backwards into Abbie’s arms.

“Dang Crane, what have you been eating? You’ve gained weight since you crawled out of that cave,” she teased while holding him in her arms.

“How could I not gain weight when you keep feeding me McDonald’s and pepperoni pizza,” Ichabod said defensively.

“Crane stop being so hateful. Well, you shouldn’t have any problems catching me. I think I lost about 8 pounds in purgatory,” Abbie said quietly.

The word purgatory nearly shattered Ichabod’s ears and heart. This was the first time Abbie had mentioned purgatory in nearly a week. The past few days had been fun and relaxing. They had made dinner together, and Abbie had even taught him how to play mini-golf. Ichabod was almost angry at her for bringing up purgatory and making him feel guilty again.

“I am ready to catch you Miss Mills. Or perhaps I might let you fall,” he teased, trying to change the subject.

“You better not drop me, or you’ll be walking home,” she laughed.

Abbie straightened her shirt, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes. Abbie tried to let go of all her anxiety and put her trust in Ichabod. Instead of easily falling backwards into his arms, she hesitated, stumbled, and then opened her eyes.

“Abbie, is something wrong? Why did you not allow yourself to fall,” he asked.

Abbie looked at the floor and remained silent.

“When I said that I may drop you, it was only a joke. I hope that you did not take me seriously,” he pleaded.

Abbie nodded, “I know.”

Ichabod grabbed her hand and led her back to the chairs. They both sat silently for a minute, and just looked at each other.

“Abbie, if you knew that I would catch you, why didn’t you fall?”

“I don’t know,” she said sadly.

“You didn’t trust me. Please be honest with me Abbie. You did not believe that I would catch you,” he said as his eyes began to water.

“Crane, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me tonight. Of course I trust you,” she said.

Ichabod laughed nervously, “You’re a terrible liar Miss Mills. Your brain is telling you to say one thing, but your heart is saying another. I have not yet regained your trust, that much is clear.”

Abbie grabbed Ichabod’s hand, “I’m sorry. This evening was supposed to be fun, and I ruined it.”

“Abbie, I enjoy every moment with you. I quite enjoyed this outing, I found it very…informative,” he laughed.

Abbie laid her head on Ichabod’s shoulder. “Let’s go home. I’ll order your favorite pizza, we’ll get drunk, and then spend the night laughing at my baby pictures.”

“I look forward to seeing photos from your infancy. I recently saw an advertisement for “stuffed crust” pizza, I would like to try it this evening as well,” he suggested as he helped Abbie from her seat.

“Cheap alcohol, overpriced pizza, and nude baby pictures, it is! If we hurry I can get home in time to smack Jenny for telling that man we’re married,” Abbie laughed as the made their way toward the exit.

**Author's Note:**

> Please comment/ give suggestions! I love ideas.


End file.
